


Mental Vacation

by Babystiles



Series: things based on stuff [11]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Good Parent Sheriff Stilinski, M/M, Sheriff Stilinski Knows About Werewolves, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-14 18:14:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16917831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babystiles/pseuds/Babystiles
Summary: "No son, Stiles is perfectly fine, he's at school. Listen I... I don't know what exactly you two are and I also don't really want to know, but I heard you two talking on the phone last week and I know that you care for him. Listen Derek, Stiles is falling apart over here. He may not realize it but it's getting bad. He isn't eating, he isn't sleeping, he's had more panic attacks these past few weeks than he's had in months and I can't.... I can't help him this time" John spoke low, his tone almost pleading."What exactly are you saying, sir?" Derek asked."I'm saying, if it's something you would consider, maybe if stiles stayed with you for a bit.





	Mental Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ARTWORK // ALL CREDIT GOES TO THE ORIGINAL CREATORS

John had peeked into Stiles' room by chance that night. It was just a gut feeling that made him crack the door open and train his ears for something he knew he would find. Stiles was distant. He wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping, and he wasn't talking as much as he used to; John was actually starting to miss the slightly inappropriate ramblings of his kid.

" _Did you eat today?_ " The voice on the phone sounded familiar, John just couldn't put his finger on why. He could see Stiles twisting in his desk chair and biting his nails the way he did when he was trying to keep himself together.

"Yeah I... I packed something for school like you said I should, I only ate half of it but I guess it's something" John could see Stiles shrug.

" _It is something, it's a start. How was school today_?" The voice was so, so familiar but John couldn't place it. However the sound of it seemed to make Stiles' shoulders deflate a little and his fingers fall away from his mouth.

"It was fine, Scott still has his head shoved up Alison's ass, Isaacs still an asshole, Lydia's always just concerned about Lydia, and Erica and Boyd are so wrapped up in each other that the entire world could fucking collapse and they wouldn't notice. I'm happy for them, all of them, I think it's fucking fantastic that they can still smile and laugh and fall in love, but I just.... I wish they'd notice, ya know?" Stiles' voice was shaking in a vulnerable way that John hasn't heard in years.

" _I know. I need to come back, you-_ "

"No! I'm okay. You can't come back here for me, it's-"

" _I can and I will if you need me. It's not just about being ignored by your friends, all of this supernatural shit is weighing you down more and more every day. If you end up missing or, god forbid, dead, what the hell am I supposed to do? I'm not going to lose you too, Stiles, I haven't even gotten you yet_ " the person made Stiles sink into his chair with a heavy sigh and John watched him bite at his knee to stop the tears.

"I'm sorry. You really don't have to come down here, nothing evil has gone bump in the night for a while and... I can deal with a little loneliness. I just.... I miss you. God, a year ago I'd laugh if someone told me that I'd be on the phone with you saying I miss you. You were such a dick" the person on the phone laughed, a tiny smile creeping up on Stiles' lips.

" _Hey you weren't much better either. For the last five years I wouldn't have been caught dead telling anyone I miss them, but I.... I do miss you. I miss you so damn much_ " the words made Stiles' eyes flutter shut.

"I wish we would have figured out our feelings when you were actually here. At least I could have kissed you before you left" stiles said, John backed away from the door slowly, the moment feeling too intimate and sacred to be spying on.

" _Yeah, me too. But we'll have a lifetime for that later_ " those were the last words he heard before he was too far down the hall for the voices to reach him anymore.

The next day, when Stiles was in the shower and his phone was charging on his bedside table, John snuck into his room. His password was easy to guess: Claudia's birthday. John went directly to his call history and the air got caught in his through when he saw the only name that appeared in his recent calls. All the way down the list the only name on there was, _Derek_. John quickly pulled his phone out and punched the number in before exiting out it and locking the phone again, putting it exactly where it had been. He tiptoed out the room as he heard the water shut off, silently closing the door once he slipped out.

He made it a point to talk to Stiles more that week. Just little chats over coffee about school; longer talks about the world or cases over burgers and fries in the cruiser. John had made it a point to make Stiles smile as much as possible, he even started putting little notes in his bag, mostly bad knock knock jokes and awful puns, but when he saw Stiles pinning them up on his desk he couldn't stop. It was a great week.

Then that Friday John went down to the school. He explained how stiles would be going away from a month or two and if there was a way to continue his school work outside of school. Which is how he became enrolled in an independent schooling program. Then John made a phone call. He dialed the number while Stiles was at school, sitting in his office and spinning slightly in his chair.

" _Hello?_ " That same familiar voice answered, a phone now accompanying it.

"Is this Derek Hale?" John asked.

" _Who is asking?_ " The voice retorted.

"This is John Stilinski" the line was quiet for several seconds.

" _Um, hi sir, is everything okay?_ " There was fear in his voice and John could only assume why.

"Everything's just fine, I'm actually calling about Stiles"

" _What about him? Is he okay? Is he hurt?_ " John chuckled.

"No son, Stiles is perfectly fine, he's at school. Listen I... I don't know what exactly you two are and I also don't really want to know, but I heard you two talking on the phone last week and I know that you care for him. Listen Derek, Stiles is falling apart over here. He may not realize it but it's getting bad. He isn't eating, he isn't sleeping, he's had more panic attacks these past few weeks than he's had in months and I can't.... I can't help him this time" John spoke low, his tone almost pleading.

" _What exactly are you saying, sir?_ " Derek asked.

"I'm saying, if it's something you would consider, maybe if stiles stayed with you for a bit. I've worked out his schooling so he could do it online for a while"

" _Yes_ " Derek's answer was immediate. " _I.... I'll make sure he's okay, sir, I won't let anything happen to him_ "

"I know you won't. We'll be on the road tomorrow so text me your address. And don't tell stiles yet"

" _Yes sir, I'll see you tomorrow"_ John hung up with a heavy sigh, wondering when the hell his life flipped so far upside down that he's sending his eighteen year old son to stay with an older werewolf. He won't question it too much if it makes him better.

The following day, the last Friday of the month, John picked stiles up from school, the boy's bags hidden in the back

"Uh, hey pops, you know I have the Jeep right?" He questioned, his head poking into the cruiser.

"Yeah I know, but I'm going to have Parrish drive it to the house" said deputy got out of the passenger seat, out of uniform, and smiled brightly at stiles. "You and me are taking a drive" John said. Stiles handed his keys to parish with a confused twisted face and stumbled into the cruiser.

"Um, where?" He asked, looking at John with a tilt of his head and furrowed eyebrows.

"Somewhere, now sit back and buckle up cause it's far" stiles didn't question any further, mostly because the future didn't look like answers and his father was already driving away.

Stiles fell asleep after five hours of driving and he stayed asleep until they were well into Oregon, the only thing surrounding them being green trees. He kept questioning where the hell they were, but John just smiled and patted his knee. They stopped at a diner so they could eat and John could stretch, then they were on the road again in less than thirty minutes. Stiles was all shaking nerves and jumbled questions for the rest of the two hour drive. He kept staring out of the window to catch a sign of where they were, but the path they were taking was secluded and void of much but trees and water.

After nine hours of driving, they were finally pulling into the driveway of a large cabin, the gravel crunching beneath the heavy tires. Stiles was staring at the cabin with a completely lost look.

"Okay seriously dad, where the hell are we?" He asked, flicking his eyes between the cabin and his father.

"A friends house" is all John said before he was getting out of the car and starting up the path. Stiles stumbled to follow, hugging himself against the chill of the air. John knocked on the door three times and the door was opening before Stiles got a foot on the first step of the porch. His eyes went impossible wide and even though John couldn't hear his heartbeat, he knew it had just sped up a few thousand beats per second. He was frozen at the bottom of the porch, staring up with watery eyes and shaking breaths. Derek took a slow step out of the cabin, and the movement seemed to break Stiles from his trance. The boy was tripping over air to get up the five steps and he was throwing himself at Derek with what sounded like a whimper. Derek held him around the waist, Stiles' arms going around his shoulders and his face burying in his neck.

"I'll go get your bags" John said, trying to let them have this moment. The statement made stiles break away slightly, his hands still tightly clutching Derek's tee shirt.

"What bags? Why- why are we here? How did you even know?" Stiles' voice was shaking and broke in some places, and tears were leaking from his tired, bloodshot eyes.

"I hear you two talking about a week ago. I also saw how messed up you were with everything going on, so I made arrangements for you to stay here for a while" John explained, smiling softly at his son.

"I-really?" His voice cracked.

"Really. I just want you to feel better, Sti" John said. Stiles broke away from Derek and wrapped his arms around johns torso, sniffling into the mans shoulder.

"Thank you dad" he whispered. John wrapped his arms around Stiles, patting his back and holding his head

"I love you son, I just want what's best for you" And he knew, from the way Derek was smiling so softly when he held stiles, that this was it.

Derek and Stiles waved John off after the man had gotten to go cup of coffee and declined a nap several times. Once the cruiser had drive completely out of sight, Stiles turned to Derek with a disbelieving expression. 

"Is this a dream?" He asked breathily, his arms coming up to wrap around Derek's neck, pressing up close to the man.

"It's not a dream, but it sure feels like one" Derek chuckled, his hands coming to rest on Stiles' hips, his nose gently nudging Stiles'.

"I missed you" stiles whispered, his voice low and fragile. Derek wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and pulled the boy close, their chests pressing together and their breaths mingling.

"I missed you too" He leaned down without any more hesitation and pressed their lips together. Stiles released a breath that he had been holding for the past year and half, finally allowing his body to relax against Derek's as his lips parting to accommodate. He didn't bother opening his eyes, didn't feel the need to; didn't feel like there was some vicious creature awaiting to rip him apart. He just let them close and leaned further into Derek, the warmth of the man spreading deep into his body and melting away the icy tension that's built up relentlessly over the years.

"I love you" Stiles whispered, the words leaving his mouth for the first time ever, leaving his tongue to rest on Derek's. Now, a few years ago, Derek would have deflected and switched subjects; never allowing himself to feel such things as precious as _love_. But today is different, Derek is different, Stiles is different.

"I love you too" He whispers back, diving back in for another, more heated kiss.  
  
  


//•\\\//•\\\//•\\\//•\\\//•\\\//•\\\//•\\\//•\\\  
  
  


"I don't want to go home" Stiles had whispered on the last Friday of the last month of his little vacation. He had been sitting on the counter, swinging his legs back and forth. Only clad in a pair of blue checkered boxers and an oversized Star Wars tee shirt. Derek had turned around from the fridge with a gentle sigh and closed it without grabbing the milk he was reaching for. He had padded over to stiles in a pair of sweatpants and a white tank top, placed one hand on the back of Stiles' neck and the other under his shirt, fingers resting on the warm, mole dotted skin that he had become so familiar with. Stiles had placed his fingers over Derek's mouth before the man could kiss him, their noses bumping and their eyes falling shut.

"I want to stay here with you forever. Where no one can touch us and nothing hurts. Everything feels so much warmer and safer when I'm with you" Stiles had whispered against his own fingers, which were covering Derek's lips. Derek had slipped his hand out from beneath Stiles' shirt so he could gently grip his wrist and pull it down to his lap, holding it there with a soft caress of his thumb.

"People can only hurt you if you let them. I'll be here waiting when you're ready to come back, but you need to go home. You need to go home and make amends with Scott because he's your brother. You need to go home and spend time with your dad because that time is important. You need to go home and finish school because you're too smart. Then you can you can come back to me and I'll be right here waiting"

So Stiles left, and when he left he looked back. He looked back and smiled at Derek when the man dropped him off. He looked back and waved as the man drove off again. And a year later, after senior year, after reconnecting with his friends, and countless Friday night dinners at the Diner with his dad, he went back. He went back, because going back was easy. And it wasn't a bad easy, it was a blissful easy that not many people get. All of the 'don't look back's and the 'leave the past in the past's could never apply because _Derek_ was there. Derek was there when he went back, and going back was the same thing as going forward; back there was his future.


End file.
